Director - Pharmacology

About the Role

The Director, Pharmacology will be a scientific and strategic thought partner instrumental in developing and building the pipeline at Tarsus. They will be responsible for bringing biology/pharmacology expertise and can readily bridge cutting-edge translational medicine environments to develop category-creating products. The role connects the discovery and clinical development organizations and supports projects at the interface between discovery and early clinical development. This role reports to the VP, Translational Science, with the opportunity to build and lead a translational team with responsibilities across the pipeline.

Let’s talk about some of the key responsibilities of the role:

• Subject Matter Expert in Pharmacology, Pathophysiology and drug target biology.
• Establish and maintain strong external partnerships with key opinion leaders, academic institutions and other external partners.
• Partner with key internal experts across the company — including Clinical Development, Innovation Lab, and Business Development (BD).
• Drive stage-appropriate project translational strategy for a differentiated asset to address unmet patient need with key “Go/No Go” decision points.
• Execute non-clinical experiments to support mechanism-of-action (MOA) related translational questions as well as overall understanding of disease biology, treatment approaches, routes of administration, and target engagement.

Translational Science/Pharmacology:

• Develop deep internal expertise in disease areas within ophthalmology, which are prioritized by the company.
• Elucidate mechanisms of action, evaluate disease models and preclinical proof-of-concept approaches, and partner with Pharmacokinetics to identify first-in-human dosing requirements.
• Generate clear, testable translational hypotheses addressing mechanism of action and pharmacodynamics, and supporting patient selection.
• Assess relevant models, select and manage CRO partners, and interact with academic experts to evaluate potential assets.

Internal and External Innovation:

• Partner with BD and bring scientific expertise to evaluate and triage external assets and opportunities, identify key risks and mitigation plans, and build additional evidence to enable Go/No Go decisions.
• Partner with Innovation Lab team to prioritize competing hypotheses, identify possible assets, and enable advancement into clinical development.
• Build open relationships with peers and external partners to ensure best decision making.

Factors for Success:

• Decision Making - Demonstrates strong decision-making by applying structured analysis to complex challenges, balancing competing priorities and long-term impacts while engaging stakeholders and driving solutions aligned with organizational goals.
• Collaboration and Team Building - Promotes collaboration by aligning diverse teams around shared goals, fostering healthy debate to advance outcomes, and building strong networks that strengthen organizational effectiveness and cross-team learning.
• Outcome Driven - Demonstrates strong outcomes focus by aligning teams around shared priorities, proactively addressing risks and dependencies, and driving cross-functional accountability to sustain progress and deliver results.
• Empowering Others - Fosters empowerment by aligning authority with accountability, developing leaders’ decision-making capability, and creating systems that support performance and growth.
• Emotional Intelligence - Foster trust and psychological safety, navigating complex interpersonal dynamics with compassion and accountability, and adapting leadership style to support others while maintaining composure under pressure.

Minimum Requirements/Qualifications:

• PhD or MD/PhD degree in Biology, Pharmacology, Molecular or Cell biology or related life sciences field with 10 years experience in a pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry setting.
• Knowledge and solid understanding of emerging research, mechanisms of action and disease models preclinically and clinically.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing strategies — including assay selection, qualification, and CRO-based execution — to support proof of concept, MOA, route and dose selection.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including writing, reviewing, and editing scientific documents.
• Strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy, and positive-influencing abilities.
• Proven influencing and partnering skills to drive decision-making within multidisciplinary, matrixed teams.
• Effective project management skills.
• Strong presentation skills; must be able to provide succinct, strategic, and actionable insights.
• Scientifically independent, proactive self-starter who can lead work independently, anticipate issues, and identify the next step without direction.
• Enterprise and entrepreneurial mindset.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in ophthalmology, dermatology, or infectious disease; prior work in ocular drug development or ocular disease models is strongly preferred.
• Recognized scientific standing evidenced by peer-reviewed publications and an established network of academic and clinical thought leaders.
• Experience evaluating external assets in a business development or in-licensing context.
• Experience authoring and reviewing nonclinical and translational sections of regulatory documents (IND, Investigator's Brochure, briefing books).

A Few Other Details Worth Mentioning:

• The position will be based in our beautiful Irvine office, complete with onsite gym, pool, snacks, drinks, and occasional catered meals. We provide a hybrid work environment. Remote work will be considered.
• We are passionate about our culture! Our Tarsans live our values of commitment to patients, empowerment to champion innovation, and teamwork to amplify impact!
• This position will report to the VP, Translational Science.
• Some travel may be required — up to 30%.

At Tarsus, we understand the importance of attracting and retaining top talent. The expected base pay range for this position is $188,200- $263,600 plus bonus, stock equity, and comprehensive benefits. The base pay range reflects the target range for this position, but individual pay will be determined by additional factors such as job-related skills, experience and relevant education or training. Our benefits include health, dental and vision insurance benefits to ensure your well-being. We believe in work-life balance and offer generous paid time off, including vacation, holidays, and personal days. For more details regarding Tarsus benefits, please visit: https://eb.alliant.com/26tarsusbenefitssnapshot.

#LI-Hybrid